This invention relates to a female electrical terminal provided with resilient contacts.
One example of a female terminal fitting provided with resilient contacts is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,212. This female terminal fitting comprises a main body provided with an electric wire contacting member and resilient contacts, and a cover which is attached to the main body so as to cover the resilient contacts. A tab of a male terminal fitting is inserted into the cover, and the resilient contacts bend towards side walls of the cover while making contact with the tab.
In cases like the example described above in which the resilient contacts are surrounded by the cover, space is required at the outer sides of the resilient contacts to allow these resilient contacts to bend. Furthermore, additional space is required at the outer sides of this space, this additional space corresponding to the wall thickness of side walls of the cover. As a result, the female terminal fitting has to be wide. The present invention has taken the above problem into consideration, and aims to present a miniaturized female terminal fitting provided with resilient contacts.
According to the invention there is provided a female terminal fitting comprising a hollow body having a peripheral wall and including a resilient electrical contact therein for contact with a male terminal fitting, said contact being bendable outwardly of the body on insertion of a male terminal fitting, wherein said body includes a recess in said wall to accommodate outward movement of said contact.
Such a terminal fitting provides a recess in the wall thickness of the body. Thus the overall size of the fitting may be reduced for a given configuration of resilient contact. The saving in width corresponds to the bending space previously provided between the inner wall of the body and the resilient contact.
Preferably the recess is an aperture, thus permitting the entire wall thickness to be utilized. In the case of two parallel contacts between which a male terminal is inserted, the width saving is doubled, thus permitting a considerable miniaturization of terminal width.